Random Acts of Kindness!

I can't remember who introduced me to this website but thank you...

I'm Sorry!

"It's getting to the point 

Where nobody can stop it now 

It's getting to the point 

Of no return 

And all that I can do 

Is stand and watch it now 

Watch it burn, burn, burn 

It's getting to the point 

Where reasons are forgotten 

It's getting to the point 

Wwhere no one knows 

And all that I can do 

Is say I'm sorry 

But that's the way it goes..."

Chris

Education Leeds All Stars!

I spent the day, the last day of the Education Leeds contract, with my colleagues and friends at Merrion House and Adams Court in Leeds...

It was a sad day and a happy day for so many colleagues who are facing a new dawn as members of Children's Services in Leeds or moving on to do other things or taking retirement. Happy because the opportunities that lie ahead but sad because of what we have been through together and the fact that life will never be the same again.

Farewell Education Leeds!

"In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make" 

Education Leeds has come to the end of the road and this line is essentially the Beatles closing statement. It is the last lyric on the last album they recorded, Let It Be and somehow seems appropriate today!

Leeds City Museum!

Sue and I moved on to visit the last of the City Council's fantastic museums here in Leeds...

Leeds City Museum is located in one of Leeds' much loved civic buildings - the Leeds Institute building on Millennium Square. 

Thwaite Mills!

I visited Thwaite Mills this morning with my colleague Sue Davies who is Head of Learning and Audience Development for the Leeds Museums and Galleries Service...

Sue and I were given a tour of this amazing site by Hannah Kemp, Visitor Assistant, and Nina Baptiste, Keeper, whose enthusiasm, passion and knowledge was wonderful.

Bluewave SWIFT!

I was in Nottingham again yesterday and met up with colleagues from the Bluewave SWIFT team...

It is a remarkable achievement when you understand the history of Bluewave SWIFT

Who would you want to work for?

Found this brilliant article about the qualities in companies you would want to work for... really want to work for! The qualities are...

Train Journeys!

I have been spending a lot of time sitting on railway stations and travelling on trains recently...

Train journeys provide time to think, to reflect and to work while the world rushes by.

Valerie Hannon in the Guardian!

Everyone who cares about learning in our schools should read the powerful piece by my colleague Valerie Hannon in today's Guardian...

"What else have successful systems to tell us about the issues we face today?

Hi, hallo, guten tag, jo napot, szervusz, hej, god dag, salut and bon jour!

It is great to know that the blog attracts such a diverse audience from around the world...

During the last week there were 536 visitors from the United Kingdom, 62 from Germany, 30 from the United States, 24 from Hungary, 18 from Denmark and 18 from France. So hi, hallo, guten tag, jo napot, szervusz, hej, god dag, salut and bon jour. Surprising how far the Leeds story has reached!
Chris

Learn Constantly!

We are going through a period of enormous change and moving into a more complex and challenging period for schools and learning...

This will be a period where there will be great opportunities

Every School a Great School!

I have spent the last fifteen years of my professional life working in York and Leeds to ensure that every school in those two wonderful cities is a great school, often sadly against a background of negativity, criticism and indifference. 

We are constantly criticized in the media, by politicians, by businessmen and by parents and carers who rightly are concerned about underperformance and underachievement at all levels in the education system. 

A Simply Incredible Front Page!

It's hard to believe that the front page of the 'i' today is a picture taken in London...

The 'i' is a great little paper if you want something concise and high quality.
Chris

Those Who Need Us Most!

We must never forget why we are here...

While it is great that we have so many great schools achieving brilliant outcomes for most of their students

Be Creative!

Pablo Picasso said that every child is born an artist; the challenge is how do we keep creativity as we grow older...

Schools in England need £8.5bn repairs!

In an article in the Financial Times by Chris Cook, Alex Barker and Ed Hammond, they report that the backlog of repairs needed by English schools would require £8.5bn to fix. 

The £20 Story

I found this story as I searched the internet the other night and realised that it was an important message for a lot of people facing opportunities and challenges in an uncertain world...

"A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a £20 note. In the room full of people, he asked. "Who would like this £20 note?"

Impossible is Nothing!

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." Muhammad Ali

I don't know about you but throughout my life people have told me things are impossible and it's not worth even trying to succeed in so many areas.

Genius!

I see that the results from the Human Genome Project strongly suggest that genes explain only 5-10% of intelligence.

Take Responsibility!

“The true slogan of democracy is not ‘Let the government do it', but rather let’s do it ourselves”
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Surely government, like leadership, is about vision, values and choices not creating a blame culture. We are living in dangerous times where everyone blames their actions on the failings of colleagues, partners or the previous team; what they did or didn't do.

Press On!

Always remember...

"It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better.

Earth Hour 2011!

At 8.30pm this evening (Saturday 26 March 2011) Earth Hour will recognise and celebrate a worldwide commitment to ongoing action to protect the planet...

Curriculum for Excellence!

We need to develop a curriculum for excellence and where best to look but Scotland...

The Scottish Government education strategy, and the curriculum frameworks that deliver it, recognise that learning is lifelong, and are designed to help learners develop the skills they need for learning, life and work. The Curriculum for Excellence aims to achieve a transformation in education in Scotland by providing a coherent, more flexible and enriched curriculum from 3 to 18.

The God Story

"Content isn't king. If I sent you to a desert island and gave you the choice of taking your friends or your movies, you'd choose your friends -- if you chose the movies, we'd call you a sociopath. Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about."

Cory Doctorow

The older I get the more I realise that friendship really matters and having spent time with some of my friends this week I found this story which made me remember that when the going gets tough friends count...

"A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with chocolate bars and cokes and he started his journey.

EBac to include English lit? What about design, the arts, music and creativity?

I see William Stewart in the TES reports that Ministers are considering adding English literature to the English Baccalaureate (EBac) following warnings that the subject’s exclusion from the controversial league table measure is “absurd”. What next...

Professor Green is wrong!

It is sad that we are seeing this constant undermining of great teaching and learning in our schools. Now the "drudgery" and "boredom" of learning basic maths and physics is turning a generation of school pupils off the subjects, according to Professor Michael Green...

Professor Green - Cambridge University's Lucasian professor of mathematics - is calling for a new national curriculum that attracts pupils with the "glamorous" side of science...

School Games!

In the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games,  schools  have the chance to boost their existing work in school sport to create a year-round calendar of competition for all young people...

The 'School Games' starts in September and is a celebration of competitive sport that will involve all young people from Year 3 to Year 13, of all abilities and backgrounds.

Education Leeds!

Education Leeds was one of the best places to work in the public sector and the evidence shows that it was an extra-ordinary organisation...

We created a team where trust, respect, autonomy and accountability enabled ordinary people to become extraordinary...

The Power of TEAM!

Everywhere in the public sector colleagues are facing relentless pressure, higher and higher expectations, along with the increased and increasing demands to do things more efficiently and more effectively...

We are what we Eat!

I watched a programme about diet and obesity this evening. Apparently, the fast-food industry has exploded during the last ten years and the evidence suggests that child obesity has increased exponentially...

I know from my visits to the gym that obesity is not just a childhood problem...

Reading Matters at Honley High School!

My colleague Andrea Smart sent me some more information about the work Reading Matters is pioneering in Yorkshire...

In summer 2009, Reading Matters trained 16 Year 11 students to become the first volunteer ‘Reading Leaders’ at Honley High School in Kirklees...

2011 Guardian Family Friendly Award

The Guardian Family Friendly Museum Award is the biggest museum award in Britain and a panel of judges, chaired by Jenny Abramsky, Heritage Lottery Fund Chair, chose the shortlist of six museums...

Reading Matters!

I finished the day at the new HEART centre in Headingley...

HEART is the flagship project of Headingley Development Trust (HDT)...

Lotherton Hall!

Sue Davies and I moved on to spend the afternoon at Lotherton Hall...

Lotherton Hall and Estate consists of a fine country house within extensive grounds, including a red deer park, bird garden, nature trails, cafe and extensive family play area.

The Discovery Centre!

I visited the Discovery Centre this morning with my colleague Sue Davies who is Head of Learning and Audience Development for the Leeds Museums and Galleries Service...

The Discovery Centre is a unique museum resource centre and a state-of-the-art storage facility...

The Last Education Leeds Dinner!

I arrived back to set off for Leeds again last night to attend the last Education Leeds dinner...

Colleagues had arranged a last meal at the Sukhothai restaurant in Headingley. It was wonderful to spend the evening with some of my colleagues one last time...

A New Curriculum for a Conceptual Age!

Estelle Morris is right in the Guardian today that we need a curriculum for the future not the past. Every child needs to be taught what it takes to succeed but there is a profound gap between what most young people learn in school and what they need to become brilliant learners...

Nottingham Again!

I am in Nottingham again today helping with their school improvement strategy...

Every authority is facing the same challenges in this new and exciting educational landscape...

Courage, Love and Wisdom!

"When all else fails only courage and love and wisdom survive."

Pam Brown

It was great to see so many colleagues and friends when I visited Merrion House today to meet with my friend Professor Tim Brighouse...

My Picture!

A colleague and friend told me that she thought the picture on the blog was too severe and unflattering...

I always listen to my friends so I have changed the picture hoping she likes this one better.

It comes from a publication by the Trust and Foundation Schools Partnership...

Open Futures!

There is less than two weeks left to apply for Open Futures funding scheme for primary schools...

Tlhe next phase of this brilliant programme aims to give more and more children access to this exciting style of learning. Find out more at the Open Futures website at www.openfutures.com/about-open-futures.
Chris

GREAT SCHOOLS: St Batholomew's CE Primary School!

I was reminded, how could I forget, about the brilliant work going on at St Bartholomew's CE Primary School in Leeds by a message I received from Open Futures...

Open Futures is a skills and enquiry-based curriculum development programme, linking learning and life. The programme is funded by the Helen Hamlyn Trust and was developed to help children discover and develop practical skills, personal interests and values.

GREAT SCHOOLS: Whingate Primary School!

Congratulations to Stuart Myers, headteacher, and his colleagues at Whingate Primary School who have just had their OFSTED Inspection Report published and it's brilliant...

The report is a wonderful celebration of the journey Stuart and his colleagues have been on. The report says...

Tim Brighouse

I am going to Leeds today to be interviewed by my colleague and friend Tim Brighouse...

Tim has been asked to carry out a stocktaking review as the Education Leeds contract comes to an end. I'll let you know how it goes.
Chris

Schools Learning Together!

I realise that colleagues are careful about joining things but I hope colleagues will want to sign up to this one...

We face huge challenges as authority teams disappear and the DfE have increased expectations of all of us and continue to raise the bar. 

Be persistent, determined and work hard!

Data gathered on more than 1,500 children who were about 10 years old when they were first studied in 1921 has been used to create the most comprehensive longitudinal evidence for how to live long and prosper...

The findings have been published in "The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study". The most amazing finding was that personality characteristics and social relations from childhood can predict one's risk of dying decades later...

Did you see the Moon?

Apparently, we had the biggest full moon tonight for eighteen years... 

OFSTED Review!

I see consultation will be started next week on how OFSTED will be refocused and these plans also include parents being encouraged to rate their children's schools on the Ofsted website...

The plans will see a rationalisation of OFSTED and its school inspection regime in England...

Advanced Baccalaureate!

I see that DfE is considering plans to allow the brightest students to miss out GCSEs and go straight to study A-level programmes in Key Stage 4...

Colleagues at the DfE are looking to copy Singapore...

Learn from What Works!

If you want to compete and build a world class learning landscape for all our children and young people you simply need to follow a few basic rules...

The Real Heroes!

If we aren't very careful we may end up driving away the heroes who dedicate their lives to doing the things other people steer clear of...

Colleagues working in the toughest contexts deserve our respect and support not our constant criticism...

Great Stories and Great Learning!

Whatever happens next we must continue to tell and share our stories; success stories, learning stories, stories about developing understanding, stories about real people and real places...

We have seen so much success over the last ten great years, so much learning about what it takes to build brilliant...

Say Thank You!

"Appreciative words are the most powerful force for good on earth."
George W. Crane

It's strange that so many teams survive on the mixture of mistrust, antipathy and jealousy that permeates so many of our workplaces.

Red Nose Day in Leeds!

I am in Leeds again today meeting colleagues and friends to talk about life, the universe and everything...

I am constantly surprised at the positivity and resilience colleagues show as we all face a challenging and uncertain future...

Do Something Funny for Money!

I hope everyone does something funny for some money tomorrow...

Red Nose Day is a brilliant initiative which changes lives and let's you do fun things to raise money. Whatever you do, do something!

Nick Gibb - Schools Minister - gets it wrong!

The DfE website reports that more than 79,000 children have missed out on a place at their first-choice secondary school for this September...

Nick Gibb, the Schools Minister, has said that 'too many students are having to go to a secondary school that was not their top choice!'

Armley Mills Industrial Museum

I visited Armley Mills Industrial Museum this morning with my colleague Sue Davies who is Head of Learning and Audience Development with the Leeds Museum Service...

This is another wonderful little museum just off Canal Road in Armley and you simply can't believe the scale of the place as you walk up the track and cross the Canal.

Armley Mills Museum!

Another day another museum...

I am going over to Leeds again today to visit the Armley Mills Museum.

Candlelighters Wetherby Fun Run!

Candlelighters, the Yorkshire charity dedicated to fighting children's cancer,  are organising a family fun run at Wetherby Rugby Club on 22 May at 12.00...

The fun run is in its third year and includes a 2k and 5k run with lots of fun activities including bungee runs, laser quest and a children's disco. For more information and an entry form go to the Candlelighters website at www.candlelighters.org.uk or you can phone 01132470372. I hope as many colleagues and friends as possible will support the event.
Chris

Special Educational Needs and Disability Green Paper

This word cloud appears on the DfE website and provides a visual representation of the main themes of the new SEND Green Paper...

I love these wordle pictures.
Chris

FREE Resources!

The Guardian has decided to give teachers access to 70,000 pages of lesson plans and modern interactive teaching materials, all absolutely free...

From today any teacher can access the Guardian's bank of resources free at http://teachers.guardian.co.uk.

National Curriculum Review!

The new national curriculum review for England's schools promises "rigour, fairness and freedom"... 

GREAT SCHOOLS: Edale Rise Primary School!

I visited a really interesting little primary school today with my colleague Gill Ellis, Director of Schools and Learning at Nottingham City Council...

Edale Rise Primary School is in Sneinton in Nottingham and serves a rich and diverse community.

Nottingham Again!

I am in Nottingham again today...

It's relly exciting working with the schools and learning team here in this wonderfully vibrant and exciting city.

Don't Forget!

The Power of TEAM!

Another great story is the lessons of the geese..

"In the fall when you see geese in the v formation flying south for the winter, pause a moment and appreciate the beauty in the flight. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird behind it.

Join, share, network and learn!

Those of us who believe that every school can be a great school need to work together...

Work together co-operatively and collaboratively to develop and share a common language around school self-improvement and the tools, tips and techniques that we can use to release the magic in our colleagues, our children and young people and importantly in our families and communities.

Government Speeches!

I love wordle. It's a fantastic programme where you can take a speech and create a word cloud showing the key words from the speech...

I used it with speeches by Michael Gove, Nick Gibb and Lord Hill so that you don't have to read the speeches.

Develop autonomy and trust!

Lord Hill’s speech to the National Governors’ Association identified five principles that guide the Government’s approach to school improvement...

The Sand and Stone Story

I found another powerful story on the web. It tells the story of two friends...

"Two friends were walking through the desert...

Join The 'A' Team!

In this new world, more than ever, we need to be part of cooperative collaborative networks of colleagues and schools who work together and share, learn and grow as part of a team with a mission to make EVERY SCHOOL a brilliant learning place-whatever it takes!

Wherever you are in the world there are things to share and things to learn...

All I really needed to know I learned in kindergarten!

I was thinking about the things that really matter and I remembered this...

"All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pit at school.These are the things I learned:

Habits of Highly Effective People!

I have been re-reading Stephen Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”...

If you haven’t read it the 7 Habits are:

The Starfish Story

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around" 

Leo Buscaglia

You all know that I love this story about the small things we can all do that make a difference...

"While walking along a beach, a man saw in the distance what looked like a boy dancing.

Great Team Tips!

I have spent most of my working life in teams; some great teams, some not so great teams and based on both my personal experience, and the research I have read, I have come to the conclusion that great teams have the following characteristics...

Leeds!

I spent the majority of the day in Leeds catching up with friends and colleagues...

It is hard visiting the city where I spent the largest block of my professional working life...

Peter Hall-Jones

I started the day having coffee with a friend...

I have known Peter for a long time. He was headteacher at Little London Primary School...

Leeds Again!

I am in Leeds this afternoon catching up with some old colleagues...

I really miss these brilliant people who made my life so special over the last ten years...

Wisdom, compassion, and courage!

"Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men."

Confucius

We all want to be outstanding and we all want success in our lives. We want success at home, at work, at school and in our relationships...

It's not Rocket Science!

"In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves 

beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."

I always ask myself after visiting great schools and brilliant places what is it that makes it a brilliant learning place and what can we learn from what talented colleagues are doing...

The answers aren't rocket science...

The Coffee Story

This great story reminds us all about the things that really matter...

"A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was...

Be Positive!

“If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don't! If you want to win, but think you can't, It's almost a cinch you won't. If you think you'll lose, you're lost; For out in the world we find success begins with a fellow's will; It's all in the state of the mind. Life's battles don't always go to the strongest and the fastest, But sooner or later the colleague who wins is the colleague who thinks they can.”

Whatever you do...

London!

It's strange being in London today and being able to watch the world go by...

It's such an impersonal place where everyone appears to be in a hurry and has very little time for anyone

else...

The Apple Store

I am sitting in the Apple Store on the edge of Covent Garden...

It's a simply amazing place full of iPads, iPhones and Macs and jam packed with people of all ages and nationalities exploring these things of beauty!I am a relatively late convert to Apple but I wish I had listened to the fan club earlier!
Chris

Learning Networks!

We must continue to change our learning spaces into dynamic learning communities...

We must re-imagine learning and build learning communities which get young people talking and establishing creative ideas and projects. We must help our young people connect, network and share...

The Pacific Institute

I am sitting on a train on my way to London...

I am visiting the headqusrters of The Pacific Institute. I am learning more about their work, their materials and their curriculum.I'll let you know how it goes!
Chris

The Mousetrap Story

I found this story on the web and it made me smile...

"A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap...

Join a Team!

As the world of school improvement goes through it's latest iteration we must all continue to work together to ensure that everyone stays focused on children and young people's  learning and the standards and outcomes they achieve...

Leadership Tips!

Leadership is something we all need to show, to develop and to understand if we want to build brilliant learning in brilliant learning places...

These are my top tips...

What works!

Throughout the ten amazing years I spent in Leeds I have been struck by the stories colleagues have told...

We mustn't listen to the doom and gloom merchants who run down and undermine schools working at the heart of the cities.

The Power of FOUR!

I know that the DfE believe that the key to achieving great outcomes is through great teaching and great teachers...

However, those of us who have been working on this for the last thirty to forty years know that it is what goes on in classrooms and the quality of the teaching team that makes for brilliant learning.

Comic Relief in Kibera in Kenya!

This year's Comic Relief is on Friday 18th March and it is going to be strange not being part of a team doing something to help...

I watched the BBC One programme last night which describes the expedition Lenny Henry, Samantha Womack, Reggie Yates and Angela Rippon have done...

Characteristics of Great People!

I met some of my brilliant colleagues at the start and end of the day yesterday and spending time with them reminded me that there are so many great colleagues in Leeds; in the schools and in Education Leeds...

What are the characteristics that make these colleagues so special?

Help me!

I want the blog to reach more people so that we can continue to build a co-operative and collaborative learning network where we can share what works and try to understand why...

We need to create a club where those of us who are passionate about learning, work together to, create extraordinary learning. We need to share our incredible stories...

Temple Newsam House

Yesterday afternoon, Sue Davies and I moved on to visit Temple Newsam House...

Temple Newsam House is one of the great country houses of England set within grand and beautiful parkland with one of the largest working rare breeds farms in Europe.

Kirkstall Abbey

Sue Davies and I also visited Kirkstall Abbey with Sam Flavin. The Abbey is one of Britain's best preserved abbeys and was founded in 1152 by a party of Cistercian monks from Fountains Abbey...

Abbey House Museum

Abbey House is another of the brilliant learning places I am working with...

I visited the house yesterday with Sue Davies, Head of Learning and Audience Development for the Museums and Galleries Service in Leeds.

There is no Failure, just Feedback!

When we are dealing with the challenges we currently face and when the going gets tough we need to stay positive and stay focused on the things that matter, in our lives, our work, and in our relationships...

We all face a difficult, changing and potentially chaotic future where individuals, families, children, organizations, and businesses all face accelerating change, massive challenges and increasing problems.

You Can Do Anything You Want!

We can do anything, well almost anything, if we are prepared to work at it...

After ten years here in Leeds, five years in York, six years in North Yorkshire and five years in Wolverhampton I am fed up with people telling me it can't be done

We are what we eat!

The latest predictions are that 50 per cent of our children will be overweight or obese adults by 2030...

I was at the gym today and the fitness fanatics tell me that, other than stopping smoking, there is nothing you can do for yourself that is better than exercise! However the evidence I have read suggests

The Choice is Yours!

Over the last ten years I hav spent time with so many exceptional people...

It's actually encouraging that the potential to be exceptional exists within everyone of us and experience has taught me that there are no exceptions.

Surviving the Storm!

There is a growing body of evidence that as we face this perfect storm, and where nothing seems to provide comfort and reassurance about the future, colleagues are becoming increasingly disillusioned and frustrated...

However, it may be reassuring to know that we are not alone...

The Leeds Children's University

"There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in."
Graham Greene 'The Power and the Glory'

The Leeds Children's University is a fantastic initiative which will connect with and build on the brilliant work we have done with Study Support, Playing for Success and the Breeze initiative here in Leeds...

Roel Rohner

I was reading Roel Rohner's 'Dalton Page' blog this afternoon...

It's great to catch up with the work of Dalton International and the Dalton method which is about personalisation, coaching and student choice.

"The world is changing rapidly but our education system is not keeping pace."

I watched 'We Are The People We've Been Waiting For' again and everyone who is passionate about learning should watch this film...

The film is an independent documentary, inspired and guided by Lord Puttnam and Sir Michael Barber, which explores the education system in the UK. The film follows five young people and asks whether our current system provides young people with the opportunity to develop their talents and abilities.